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This Is How It Ends
The Richard & Judy Bookclub pick from the author of Nothing But Blue Sky, longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction, 2021This is when it beginsAutumn, 2008.This is where it beginsThe coast of Dublin.This is why it beginsBruno, an American, has come to Ireland to search for his roots. Addie, an out-of-work architect, is recovering from heartbreak while taking care of her infirm father. When their worlds collide, they experience a connection unlike any they've previously felt, but soon their newfound love will be tested in ways they never imagined possible.This is how it ends . . .
406 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 30, 2012
94 people are currently reading
1366 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen MacMahon
4 books109 followersKathleen MacMahon is an award-winning television journalist with Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTE, where she reports on the major international stories. The grand-daughter of the distinguished short story writer Mary Lavin, Kathleen lives in Dublin with her husband and twin daughters. THIS IS HOW IT ENDS is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 283 reviews
October 4, 2012
This novel frustrated me immensely, mostly because MacMahon is obviously a very talented writer but even her skill could not overcome the shortcomings in the plot.
First of all, the character Addie: I kept trying to like her and at times I did, but her outlook toward Bruno's Americanisms, for lack of a better word, was pretty snotty. Did she eventually change her mind about that? Well, she learned to find it cute in Bruno, but I wasn't convinced that she gained any respect for his homeland.
Next, the thread that dealt with Addie's family history dropped in and out of the novel in a vague and rather boring way. I never did figure out what the big secret was supposed to be about her mother; maybe the ambiguity was supposed to be some creative writing trick to allow the reader to interpret that part, but it just left me feeling as if the author didn't do a good job of conveying what she meant to convey.
Finally, I'm no Nicholas Sparks fan who wants every story tied up in a nice little bow, but the ending was a real drag. I saw it coming a mile away, for one thing, and the way Addie treated herself caused me to lose respect for her. The best that could do for readers is remind them of how important it is to pay attention to symptoms, but I was looking for a good read, not a depressing medical lesson.
And killing the dog? What purpose did that serve? It only further confirmed my opinion that the author went too far in her effort to eschew a happy ending.
First of all, the character Addie: I kept trying to like her and at times I did, but her outlook toward Bruno's Americanisms, for lack of a better word, was pretty snotty. Did she eventually change her mind about that? Well, she learned to find it cute in Bruno, but I wasn't convinced that she gained any respect for his homeland.
Next, the thread that dealt with Addie's family history dropped in and out of the novel in a vague and rather boring way. I never did figure out what the big secret was supposed to be about her mother; maybe the ambiguity was supposed to be some creative writing trick to allow the reader to interpret that part, but it just left me feeling as if the author didn't do a good job of conveying what she meant to convey.
Finally, I'm no Nicholas Sparks fan who wants every story tied up in a nice little bow, but the ending was a real drag. I saw it coming a mile away, for one thing, and the way Addie treated herself caused me to lose respect for her. The best that could do for readers is remind them of how important it is to pay attention to symptoms, but I was looking for a good read, not a depressing medical lesson.
And killing the dog? What purpose did that serve? It only further confirmed my opinion that the author went too far in her effort to eschew a happy ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 8, 2012
I slogged thru this book only to be disappointed by the ending. Dull read with a depessing inexplicably grim ending. Wanted to throw book at wall when finished. Felt intense dislike for author and will not be reading any future books by her.
January 29, 2014
MacMahon is a good writer, but this novel feels like she set out to write a Nicholas Sparks tear jerker and, given that she did cash it, I suppose it wasn't such a bad move.
WARNING! This book contains:
*A dog that dies from irresponsible actions.
*Magic Cancer - untreatable but leaves you fine for two months as you fulfill your fondest dreams and then sends you to bed, pale and tragic but content for a month until you quietly slip away.
*Second cousins doing *it*
*An American who seems to have no problems skirting immigration law and who has an endless supply of cash.
*Random elements that go nowhere. NOWHERE.
WARNING! This book contains:
*A dog that dies from irresponsible actions.
*Magic Cancer - untreatable but leaves you fine for two months as you fulfill your fondest dreams and then sends you to bed, pale and tragic but content for a month until you quietly slip away.
*Second cousins doing *it*
*An American who seems to have no problems skirting immigration law and who has an endless supply of cash.
*Random elements that go nowhere. NOWHERE.
May 7, 2012
I won this book recently from Waterstones and wasn't entirely sure what to expect from it. As the books hasn't released yet there were no reviews. When the book arrived it came with a lovely letter from the publishers and inside the proof copy itself was lots of praise for this book. Each and every quote explained how excellent this book was in many different ways. Now that I've read it I can confirm that this is a truly breathtaking debut novel.
This Is How It Ends follows Addie, an out of work architect and Bruno an American whose just lost his job. Bruno finally keeps the promise he gave his father and flies out to Ireland to find out more about his families past. It's there where their two worlds collide. Love blooms between the two but life throws unexpected obstacles their way. Life is never easy and this book shows the journey of two people trying to keep their heads above water.
What I loved about this book was the way it was written. It was like you were growing with these characters, watching the story unfold as if you were in the same room as them. It's breathtaking how unique MacMahon's writing is and how the whole way the readers are tucked in nicely watching her characters go about their lives. This book is as real as it gets. It's full of pain, love, sorrow, happiness, pretty much every human emotion there is. It's a true reflection of life and it's challenges. The events of this book could happen to anyone, that's what makes this books so heart wrenching. You bond with these characters as if they were family. You feel their pain and you worry about them. Each character even secondary ones were so well rounded and real.
The last quarter of this book was the strongest of the whole novel. It's where things happen which I'm not going to spoil for you. It was incredible the way MacMahon dealt with these obstacles and how the characters reacted. It just proves that no matter what life throws at you, you can still be happy until the end. I can easily say now that I've finished this book that it is still stuck in the front of my mind. My mind is still flicking through the story and wincing from the pain and smiling from the happiness. It's a really unique feeling. This book is going to stick with me for a long time. I can also say that the five words, This Is How It Ends, have a whole new meaning and will haunt my mind for a long while yet.
This book stirred so many emotions inside me. This Is How It Ends, shows how life can be unpredictable and you can never be prepared for it. It's an important lesson and it's changed the way I look at things. For a debut novel this is pure gold. Like I said it is a truly breathtaking novel, that will be an instant classic. It's not something I would normally read but even then it's still amazing. I'm sure everyone will love it!
This Is How It Ends follows Addie, an out of work architect and Bruno an American whose just lost his job. Bruno finally keeps the promise he gave his father and flies out to Ireland to find out more about his families past. It's there where their two worlds collide. Love blooms between the two but life throws unexpected obstacles their way. Life is never easy and this book shows the journey of two people trying to keep their heads above water.
What I loved about this book was the way it was written. It was like you were growing with these characters, watching the story unfold as if you were in the same room as them. It's breathtaking how unique MacMahon's writing is and how the whole way the readers are tucked in nicely watching her characters go about their lives. This book is as real as it gets. It's full of pain, love, sorrow, happiness, pretty much every human emotion there is. It's a true reflection of life and it's challenges. The events of this book could happen to anyone, that's what makes this books so heart wrenching. You bond with these characters as if they were family. You feel their pain and you worry about them. Each character even secondary ones were so well rounded and real.
The last quarter of this book was the strongest of the whole novel. It's where things happen which I'm not going to spoil for you. It was incredible the way MacMahon dealt with these obstacles and how the characters reacted. It just proves that no matter what life throws at you, you can still be happy until the end. I can easily say now that I've finished this book that it is still stuck in the front of my mind. My mind is still flicking through the story and wincing from the pain and smiling from the happiness. It's a really unique feeling. This book is going to stick with me for a long time. I can also say that the five words, This Is How It Ends, have a whole new meaning and will haunt my mind for a long while yet.
This book stirred so many emotions inside me. This Is How It Ends, shows how life can be unpredictable and you can never be prepared for it. It's an important lesson and it's changed the way I look at things. For a debut novel this is pure gold. Like I said it is a truly breathtaking novel, that will be an instant classic. It's not something I would normally read but even then it's still amazing. I'm sure everyone will love it!
May 18, 2012
I am sorry to say that I couldn't care less how it ends.....
May 26, 2012
'There existed for both of them the possibility of happiness.'
Bruno has travelled to Ireland from America to try and find distant cousins there, a journey he had promised to make over thirty years ago. He is also trying to escape from the global financial crisis, having been a direct victim of it, losing his job in finance with Lehman Brothers. Addie is temporarily staying with her father Hugh, a surgeon nearing retirement, whilst he recovers from two broken wrists. It becomes evident that Hugh is also in the midst of being sued due to certain actions at work. Her sister Della and husband Simon live nearby with their four daughters. Addie is single, work for her as an architect seems to have dried up, and her most beloved companion in life is her loyal dog, Lola. Della and Addie lost their mother when they were young children.
The novel is set in the run-up to, and after, the American Presidential elections of 2008, alongside which is the backdrop of the economic recession affecting the world. Bruno arrives in Dublin with a month to go until the election, and three weeks after losing his job. Bruno, like many, is desperate for Obama to win and feels this would bring hope for the future, he is passionate about it. If McCain wins, Bruno vows not to return to the USA. Bruno contacts Hugh and Addie by telephone, but his messages are not returned, as neither of them feels inclined to deal with him. But after meeting on the beach one day, things will never be the same for Bruno and Addie.
Bruno and Addie meet and find a totally unexpected, life-changing happiness and love together, the like of which they both feel they have never known before. Bruno is nearly 50 and Addie is 38. There is so much joy between them. Bruno brings a lightness that brightens and opens up Addie's life. 'All her life Addie has had the feeling that there's a black cloud following her around.' There is a wonderful, eye-opening moment for Bruno when he looks at the tracks listed on Addie's iPod, the music that accompanies her day, and realises 'the way she had her life story set up, it was a weepie'. He determines from then on he is going to turn it 'into a feel-good movie.' As for himself, 'he felt like he'd woken up from a bad dream and suddenly everything was OK in the world.'
I loved Addie, with her troubles and imperfections, riddled with self-doubt and beset by loneliness, and I loved Lola. The strong bond between them really came across. Addie is lonely, taking long walks with Lola on the beach right by their home, where 'she can scream if she wants to and sometimes she does...She can cry hot tears of self-pity...Addie has a tricky head, she has a tendency to melancholy....It can be a full-time job, dealing with all the things that come bubbling up in her head.' Her escapes from what she has had to deal with in life are walking and swimming. Bruno makes a huge difference to her days, bringing about a transformation, with his enthusiasm and zest for life, and for exploring Ireland, and his insistence on sharing his love of Bruce Springsteen songs.
This debut novel is a veritable emotional rollercoaster with joyous highs, devastating lows, and many poignant moments in between. There is so much happiness, yet there is tragedy, sadness, family secrets and regret. If you're looking for a bittersweet, charming love story that will make you smile, but that may also leave you in tears, with well-drawn characters you may grow attached to, then read this book.
I found that I engaged with and liked the characters, Addie most of all, and I found the love that grew between her and Bruno was charmingly depicted, such an honesty and innocence that they share. I also grew to care about Hugh despite his cantankerous nature; he's an old-fashioned man in a modern world. The characters felt very real, and their stories genuine. There is a gentle humour in places, - I loved the little part about the etiquette amongst dog owners, so true! - and there is a truthfulness about relationships. There is an acute awareness of the passing of time and how moments can seem both days away and yet also a lifetime away.
This is a very moving novel from Kathleen MacMahon. I was left a bit heartbroken on finishing it, to be honest, because of how I'd grown to care for certain of the characters. I can't say more as it'll spoil it. But you'll know why when you read it. This book also has a beautiful, and for me quite magical, cover design.
4.5 stars.
Bruno has travelled to Ireland from America to try and find distant cousins there, a journey he had promised to make over thirty years ago. He is also trying to escape from the global financial crisis, having been a direct victim of it, losing his job in finance with Lehman Brothers. Addie is temporarily staying with her father Hugh, a surgeon nearing retirement, whilst he recovers from two broken wrists. It becomes evident that Hugh is also in the midst of being sued due to certain actions at work. Her sister Della and husband Simon live nearby with their four daughters. Addie is single, work for her as an architect seems to have dried up, and her most beloved companion in life is her loyal dog, Lola. Della and Addie lost their mother when they were young children.
The novel is set in the run-up to, and after, the American Presidential elections of 2008, alongside which is the backdrop of the economic recession affecting the world. Bruno arrives in Dublin with a month to go until the election, and three weeks after losing his job. Bruno, like many, is desperate for Obama to win and feels this would bring hope for the future, he is passionate about it. If McCain wins, Bruno vows not to return to the USA. Bruno contacts Hugh and Addie by telephone, but his messages are not returned, as neither of them feels inclined to deal with him. But after meeting on the beach one day, things will never be the same for Bruno and Addie.
Bruno and Addie meet and find a totally unexpected, life-changing happiness and love together, the like of which they both feel they have never known before. Bruno is nearly 50 and Addie is 38. There is so much joy between them. Bruno brings a lightness that brightens and opens up Addie's life. 'All her life Addie has had the feeling that there's a black cloud following her around.' There is a wonderful, eye-opening moment for Bruno when he looks at the tracks listed on Addie's iPod, the music that accompanies her day, and realises 'the way she had her life story set up, it was a weepie'. He determines from then on he is going to turn it 'into a feel-good movie.' As for himself, 'he felt like he'd woken up from a bad dream and suddenly everything was OK in the world.'
I loved Addie, with her troubles and imperfections, riddled with self-doubt and beset by loneliness, and I loved Lola. The strong bond between them really came across. Addie is lonely, taking long walks with Lola on the beach right by their home, where 'she can scream if she wants to and sometimes she does...She can cry hot tears of self-pity...Addie has a tricky head, she has a tendency to melancholy....It can be a full-time job, dealing with all the things that come bubbling up in her head.' Her escapes from what she has had to deal with in life are walking and swimming. Bruno makes a huge difference to her days, bringing about a transformation, with his enthusiasm and zest for life, and for exploring Ireland, and his insistence on sharing his love of Bruce Springsteen songs.
This debut novel is a veritable emotional rollercoaster with joyous highs, devastating lows, and many poignant moments in between. There is so much happiness, yet there is tragedy, sadness, family secrets and regret. If you're looking for a bittersweet, charming love story that will make you smile, but that may also leave you in tears, with well-drawn characters you may grow attached to, then read this book.
I found that I engaged with and liked the characters, Addie most of all, and I found the love that grew between her and Bruno was charmingly depicted, such an honesty and innocence that they share. I also grew to care about Hugh despite his cantankerous nature; he's an old-fashioned man in a modern world. The characters felt very real, and their stories genuine. There is a gentle humour in places, - I loved the little part about the etiquette amongst dog owners, so true! - and there is a truthfulness about relationships. There is an acute awareness of the passing of time and how moments can seem both days away and yet also a lifetime away.
This is a very moving novel from Kathleen MacMahon. I was left a bit heartbroken on finishing it, to be honest, because of how I'd grown to care for certain of the characters. I can't say more as it'll spoil it. But you'll know why when you read it. This book also has a beautiful, and for me quite magical, cover design.
4.5 stars.
June 18, 2012
I have read a lot of romantic fiction lately, but nothing like this because this is the first story I have read where the protagonist is poised on the cusp of middle age.
Addie is 39, an architect in Ireland, out of work and at a loose end as the roar of the celtic tiger is abruptly silenced at the start of the "economic downturn", in 2008. Bruno, an unemployed american banker, visits Ireland in the shadow of the Lehman Brothers' collapse, in a long overdue pilgrimage to find his roots and honour his dead father. He is also preoccupied with political events in America. Will Obama succeed? Will Bruno bother to go home if he doesn't?
Addie quite literally runs from their first meeting. Bruno, smiling, open, eager and ready to say yes to anything his irish adventure might bring, quickly brings her round and very quickly they become lovers. Addie recognises this opportunity and leaps. Their affair is neither particularly passionate nor intimately described. This reader had to fish around but found satisfying glimpses of intense and unexpected happiness and a situation that was both very real and very romantic. The prose is crisp and light. Voices come and go, all vibrant and interesting (I particularly loved Addie's sister Della, a harassed, quick-witted mother of four). The action putters on and, before you know it, we are, in the middle of the mundane and everyday, considering the darkest of themes and the most challenging of situations and emotions.
I was attracted to this book because Bruno and Addie are in every sense mature characters. I wanted to read about love in middle age. What I found was a likeable heroine whose situation (single, approaching 40, childless)is not my own but is that of many of my friends and contemporaries. When I think about how my life might have been different, Addie is not a million miles from who I might have been. This alone is interesting. What happens next, well, this story and these wonderful characters, their struggles and their joy, will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
Addie is 39, an architect in Ireland, out of work and at a loose end as the roar of the celtic tiger is abruptly silenced at the start of the "economic downturn", in 2008. Bruno, an unemployed american banker, visits Ireland in the shadow of the Lehman Brothers' collapse, in a long overdue pilgrimage to find his roots and honour his dead father. He is also preoccupied with political events in America. Will Obama succeed? Will Bruno bother to go home if he doesn't?
Addie quite literally runs from their first meeting. Bruno, smiling, open, eager and ready to say yes to anything his irish adventure might bring, quickly brings her round and very quickly they become lovers. Addie recognises this opportunity and leaps. Their affair is neither particularly passionate nor intimately described. This reader had to fish around but found satisfying glimpses of intense and unexpected happiness and a situation that was both very real and very romantic. The prose is crisp and light. Voices come and go, all vibrant and interesting (I particularly loved Addie's sister Della, a harassed, quick-witted mother of four). The action putters on and, before you know it, we are, in the middle of the mundane and everyday, considering the darkest of themes and the most challenging of situations and emotions.
I was attracted to this book because Bruno and Addie are in every sense mature characters. I wanted to read about love in middle age. What I found was a likeable heroine whose situation (single, approaching 40, childless)is not my own but is that of many of my friends and contemporaries. When I think about how my life might have been different, Addie is not a million miles from who I might have been. This alone is interesting. What happens next, well, this story and these wonderful characters, their struggles and their joy, will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
September 24, 2013
Well, I have to start this review by saying that this book managed to surprise me. This story turned out to be not at all what I thought it would be when I first started the book. While I did get the love story I was expecting, I also found an awful lot more in this book. And although I did find myself reading the last few pages of this book with tears in my eyes, I couldn’t help being pleasantly surprised by the rather unexpected way this story concluded.
While this is indeed a love story, it is not a traditional one. Our hero, Bruno is fifty years old, has two failed marriages behind him and has recently lost his job. Unable to face the upcoming elections – Obama vs. McCain - in America, he decides to travel to Ireland and research his family’s roots.
Addie is thirty-eight years old and has recently lost a baby as well as her long term partner. What is more, her work as an architect has dried up. With no real purpose in her life it is almost a blessing when her cantankerous father, Hugh, breaks both his wrists and needs her to move in to the family home to look after him. When Addie and Hugh discover that Bruno, who is a distant relative, is in Ireland to look into his family history, both of them are determined to ignore him. The last thing they need is a sentimental American disturbing the peace in their lives.
Yet, when Addie does meet Bruno she instantly knows that she is looking at the start of a love affair. What she doesn’t know is that she is also looking at the start of a complete life change. It may not be Bruno who causes all the changes in the lives of Addie and her family; he does somehow appear to be at the centre of them. Over the course of less then a year everything will change for Addie, Hugh, Della – Addie’s sister – and Bruno. And even with tragedy facing all of them, most of those changes are far from bad.
This story was set up in a rather clever way. When the story starts both Addie and Bruno came across as somewhat pathetic. Addie seems to have lost her way in life completely. Looking after her father keeps her going but she appears lethargic and borderline depressed and lacking the will to do anything about it. Bruno’s journey to Ireland seems to be some form of a midlife crisis at first. While it makes sense that he would like to give his life some purpose now that he has lost his job, his fear of the possible outcome of the upcoming election seems completely unrealistic and over the top.
It is only as these two characters develop that the reader slowly gets an insight into what motivates them. And while I never completely got my head around Bruno’s obsession with the election, I did get a much better appreciation of what was driving Addie and her reasons for being who and what she is.
While this book is foremost about the journey Bruno and Addie make together, both Hugh and Della have some issues of their own to come to terms with. Especially Hugh having to confront his past, his reluctance to talk about it, “snobbery, pure snobbery” and his heartbreaking confrontation with karma were very well executed.
I liked that none of the characters in this book were perfect; all of them were selfish and insensitive at times although it was constantly clear that they were all trying to do the best they could within their personal limitations.
This is a book that will take the reader through a wide range of emotions. You will find yourself smiling, frowning, exasperated and crying. This is a story that resembles life; there is no such thing as a perfect happy ending. All we can do is make the best of what we are given. And that is not a bad message to send out into the world.
Overall I would call this a deceptively easy read with a far deeper meaning than you would expect when you first pick it up. Prepare to be pleasantly surprised even while your heart breaks a little bit.
While this is indeed a love story, it is not a traditional one. Our hero, Bruno is fifty years old, has two failed marriages behind him and has recently lost his job. Unable to face the upcoming elections – Obama vs. McCain - in America, he decides to travel to Ireland and research his family’s roots.
Addie is thirty-eight years old and has recently lost a baby as well as her long term partner. What is more, her work as an architect has dried up. With no real purpose in her life it is almost a blessing when her cantankerous father, Hugh, breaks both his wrists and needs her to move in to the family home to look after him. When Addie and Hugh discover that Bruno, who is a distant relative, is in Ireland to look into his family history, both of them are determined to ignore him. The last thing they need is a sentimental American disturbing the peace in their lives.
Yet, when Addie does meet Bruno she instantly knows that she is looking at the start of a love affair. What she doesn’t know is that she is also looking at the start of a complete life change. It may not be Bruno who causes all the changes in the lives of Addie and her family; he does somehow appear to be at the centre of them. Over the course of less then a year everything will change for Addie, Hugh, Della – Addie’s sister – and Bruno. And even with tragedy facing all of them, most of those changes are far from bad.
This story was set up in a rather clever way. When the story starts both Addie and Bruno came across as somewhat pathetic. Addie seems to have lost her way in life completely. Looking after her father keeps her going but she appears lethargic and borderline depressed and lacking the will to do anything about it. Bruno’s journey to Ireland seems to be some form of a midlife crisis at first. While it makes sense that he would like to give his life some purpose now that he has lost his job, his fear of the possible outcome of the upcoming election seems completely unrealistic and over the top.
It is only as these two characters develop that the reader slowly gets an insight into what motivates them. And while I never completely got my head around Bruno’s obsession with the election, I did get a much better appreciation of what was driving Addie and her reasons for being who and what she is.
While this book is foremost about the journey Bruno and Addie make together, both Hugh and Della have some issues of their own to come to terms with. Especially Hugh having to confront his past, his reluctance to talk about it, “snobbery, pure snobbery” and his heartbreaking confrontation with karma were very well executed.
I liked that none of the characters in this book were perfect; all of them were selfish and insensitive at times although it was constantly clear that they were all trying to do the best they could within their personal limitations.
This is a book that will take the reader through a wide range of emotions. You will find yourself smiling, frowning, exasperated and crying. This is a story that resembles life; there is no such thing as a perfect happy ending. All we can do is make the best of what we are given. And that is not a bad message to send out into the world.
Overall I would call this a deceptively easy read with a far deeper meaning than you would expect when you first pick it up. Prepare to be pleasantly surprised even while your heart breaks a little bit.
December 11, 2014
When I read its little synopsis, it looked promising but when I started reading it I struggled to make my way through it. I just wanted to finish and get over with it.
So Bruno is an American who came to Ireland to find his family tree. Bruno has recently lost his job. He meets Addie there; they are second cousin. They fell in love. Addie is an out of work Architecture. Her father Hugh is a doctor who has an accident and is now homebound. She is living with him to take care of him. He is rude and arrogant. She has a sister too who is happily married with 4 kids. Bruno was waiting for Obama to win election so that he could return back to America. With Obama's victory Addie knew that Bruno was going back at some point but then something happen which brought the whole family very close.
This story is devastatingly slow. Only last 100 pages were little good which makes first 300 pages almost useless. I'd hoped to find a romance of between Addie and Bruno but there was no sign of it. Even there were very few scenes in which they were together. Both the lead characters, Addie and Bruno, were very boring. They kept annoying me.
The only character that I liked in the book was Della, Addie's sister. She was like fresh air in this stale story but there was so little of her. I just kept waiting that she would make an appearance now and alleviate me from this boredom but those moments were rare.
Sorry, but I don't have anything in it to appreciate it for.
So Bruno is an American who came to Ireland to find his family tree. Bruno has recently lost his job. He meets Addie there; they are second cousin. They fell in love. Addie is an out of work Architecture. Her father Hugh is a doctor who has an accident and is now homebound. She is living with him to take care of him. He is rude and arrogant. She has a sister too who is happily married with 4 kids. Bruno was waiting for Obama to win election so that he could return back to America. With Obama's victory Addie knew that Bruno was going back at some point but then something happen which brought the whole family very close.
This story is devastatingly slow. Only last 100 pages were little good which makes first 300 pages almost useless. I'd hoped to find a romance of between Addie and Bruno but there was no sign of it. Even there were very few scenes in which they were together. Both the lead characters, Addie and Bruno, were very boring. They kept annoying me.
The only character that I liked in the book was Della, Addie's sister. She was like fresh air in this stale story but there was so little of her. I just kept waiting that she would make an appearance now and alleviate me from this boredom but those moments were rare.
Sorry, but I don't have anything in it to appreciate it for.
November 20, 2012
I really enjoyed this book, a snapshot of a family in transition in modern Ireland, especially the ending (I had a similar experience in my family this last spring) and I look forward to her next book, which I understand is already halfway to completion. I had to take off one star only because otherwise it would look like I was biased in favor—I'm a friend of the author's father and if I gave the book five stars plus that admission, you wouldn't credit my review, would you?
But read it, especially if you're an American like me and can face up to how we're viewed in Dublin. It's a lovely, easy read.
But read it, especially if you're an American like me and can face up to how we're viewed in Dublin. It's a lovely, easy read.
June 14, 2012
I really enjoyed this book - it was an easy read but a GOOD read. The writing was thoughtful, giving some credit to the reader. The secondary characters are developed really well - almost to the point where I felt I knew and liked them better than the two main characters. The Obama angle was heavily sold when this book was being marketed, and I was a little disappointed to find how little the 'Obama' part of the plot figured in the story, but overall this was a book I looked forward to getting back to at the end of each day.
May 11, 2013
As a novelist, I'm often accused of making readers cry. I know how it's done, I understand the power of words, the smoke and mirror of foreshadowing. This is How It Ends is one of the few books I've ever read that was able to make me shed tears. MacMahon's deft depiction of true love at the last minute is a marvel. Her characters are flawed, contentious, loving, heroic, kind, cranky, in a word, ordinary. This is Kathleen MacMahon's first novel and I hope for everyone's sake that it isn't the last.
August 17, 2022
So skip what is written after the title, and just settle into your sofa with a blanket, the book, a mug of tea or whatever. This is a lovely slow-moving non-formulaic novel that tells a couple of stories, the main ones in more detail, but nothing is left hanging or thrown in to titillate. I can imagine a sensitive man enjoying it, although I think.... its probably more a woman's story.
I am always happy to find a romance that is carefully and colorfully put together
I am always happy to find a romance that is carefully and colorfully put together
November 6, 2017
I really really couldn't get into the story and went through the reviews to understand what other people thought. I agree completely with all the reviews which find it below average and I don't even want to go to the disastrous end people mention. So, this book ended up in the charity shop.
December 22, 2024
Hola lectores 🥰
Hoy les dejo reseña de "ASÍ ES COMO TERMINA" DE KATHLEEN MACMAHON (2012).
♥️SINOPSIS:
Otoño de 2008, en la costa de Dublín.
Bruno, un estadounidense que acaba de perder su empleo, llega a Irlanda en busca de sus raíces.
Addie, una arquitecta sin trabajo, se está recuperando de un desengaño amoroso mientras cuida de su padre convaleciente.
Cuando sus mundos se encuentran, Addie y Bruno sienten una conexión como jamás habían sentido antes, aunque pronto su amor reciente se verá puesto a prueba de manera inexorable.
♥️Una historia que nos lleva más allá del «felices para siempre».
Addie y Bruno son una historia tan linda como agridulce, que te dejará una sensación rara, pero también de valorar el presente.
♥️La historia se narra a dos tiempos, a veces en pasado y otras en el presente. Eso hace que algunos eventos los tengas que suponer o adivinar. (No sabes como llegaron a suceder.)
Pero no deja de ser una historia que causa sensaciones y te invita a reflexionar de la vida , de la familia y el pasado.
Pd: Yo no conocía a la autora. Fue como leer a Nicholas Sparks. Historia de amor con final doloroso.😭
#asiescomotermina #kathleenmcmahon #novela #novelanewadult #novelacontemporanea #bookstagramm ##bookslovers #amorporloslibros #bookstagram #bookstagramchile #books
Hoy les dejo reseña de "ASÍ ES COMO TERMINA" DE KATHLEEN MACMAHON (2012).
♥️SINOPSIS:
Otoño de 2008, en la costa de Dublín.
Bruno, un estadounidense que acaba de perder su empleo, llega a Irlanda en busca de sus raíces.
Addie, una arquitecta sin trabajo, se está recuperando de un desengaño amoroso mientras cuida de su padre convaleciente.
Cuando sus mundos se encuentran, Addie y Bruno sienten una conexión como jamás habían sentido antes, aunque pronto su amor reciente se verá puesto a prueba de manera inexorable.
♥️Una historia que nos lleva más allá del «felices para siempre».
Addie y Bruno son una historia tan linda como agridulce, que te dejará una sensación rara, pero también de valorar el presente.
♥️La historia se narra a dos tiempos, a veces en pasado y otras en el presente. Eso hace que algunos eventos los tengas que suponer o adivinar. (No sabes como llegaron a suceder.)
Pero no deja de ser una historia que causa sensaciones y te invita a reflexionar de la vida , de la familia y el pasado.
Pd: Yo no conocía a la autora. Fue como leer a Nicholas Sparks. Historia de amor con final doloroso.😭
#asiescomotermina #kathleenmcmahon #novela #novelanewadult #novelacontemporanea #bookstagramm ##bookslovers #amorporloslibros #bookstagram #bookstagramchile #books
July 15, 2014
A minha vontade era de dar 4 estrelas e mais metade, mas ainda não existe esta opção...
Para começar digo que não estava, de todo, à espera de gostar tanto deste livro. Nunca tinha lido nada desta escritora e fiquei agradavelmente surpresa pela qualidade da história e pela maneira simples e leve como ela escreve.
A capa por si só, é bastante atractiva. Cores suaves e românticas que nos chamam logo a atenção e que nos remetem para um romance daqueles que nos fazem chorar baba e ranho (desculpem lá a imagem que vos plantei na mente).
Quando comecei a ler, achei-o um pouco confuso. Do género: Começou com um personagem, Bruno, e depois passa para outras, Addie, Hugh (pai), e Lola (cadela)e depois regressa à personagem inicial. Contudo, ao longo das páginas, vamos conhecendo melhor todas e cada uma das personagens. Os seus traumas, desejos, paixões e esperanças.
Basicamente, já referi aqui as personagens todas, faltando apenas Della (irmã de Addie) e o marido Simon, junto com as suas 4 filhas.
A mim custa-me um pouco escrever opiniões de livros que tenha gostado imenso, porque existe sempre aquela possibilidade de deixar escapar um spoiller ou dois... (ou até mais, se o Diabo permitir). No entanto, vou dar o meu melhor para não cair em tentação.
Bruno é um homem maduro de quase cinquenta anos que perdeu o emprego. Era corretor da Bolsa, na América. No entanto, as suas raízes são irlandesas. Como perdeu o emprego e na América decorre o período eleitoral em que os candidatos são MacCaine e Obama, Bruno decide refugiar-se em casa de uns parentes, desconhecidos, na costa Irlandesa.
Por sua vez, Addie e Lola, são companheiras inseparáveis desde que Addie a resgatou do abrigo de animais abandonados. Adoram passear pela praia e nadar na água gelada. Addie é uma mulher solteira de trinta e oito anos que se mudou para a casa do pai (médico e com mau feitio), que sofreu um acidente e precisa de cuidados.
Desde as descrições dos locais, das personagens, das situações até à emotividade que transparece em cada acção das personagens, este livro é um hino ao que o amor pode fazer por duas pessoas que se achavam perdidas.
O final... Que hei-de dizer eu do final? Soberbo, apesar de muito triste. Dei por mim a chorar e com um aperto no peito por imaginar tudo o que as personagens estavam a passar naqueles momentos.
Recomendo!
Para começar digo que não estava, de todo, à espera de gostar tanto deste livro. Nunca tinha lido nada desta escritora e fiquei agradavelmente surpresa pela qualidade da história e pela maneira simples e leve como ela escreve.
A capa por si só, é bastante atractiva. Cores suaves e românticas que nos chamam logo a atenção e que nos remetem para um romance daqueles que nos fazem chorar baba e ranho (desculpem lá a imagem que vos plantei na mente).
Quando comecei a ler, achei-o um pouco confuso. Do género: Começou com um personagem, Bruno, e depois passa para outras, Addie, Hugh (pai), e Lola (cadela)e depois regressa à personagem inicial. Contudo, ao longo das páginas, vamos conhecendo melhor todas e cada uma das personagens. Os seus traumas, desejos, paixões e esperanças.
Basicamente, já referi aqui as personagens todas, faltando apenas Della (irmã de Addie) e o marido Simon, junto com as suas 4 filhas.
A mim custa-me um pouco escrever opiniões de livros que tenha gostado imenso, porque existe sempre aquela possibilidade de deixar escapar um spoiller ou dois... (ou até mais, se o Diabo permitir). No entanto, vou dar o meu melhor para não cair em tentação.
Bruno é um homem maduro de quase cinquenta anos que perdeu o emprego. Era corretor da Bolsa, na América. No entanto, as suas raízes são irlandesas. Como perdeu o emprego e na América decorre o período eleitoral em que os candidatos são MacCaine e Obama, Bruno decide refugiar-se em casa de uns parentes, desconhecidos, na costa Irlandesa.
Por sua vez, Addie e Lola, são companheiras inseparáveis desde que Addie a resgatou do abrigo de animais abandonados. Adoram passear pela praia e nadar na água gelada. Addie é uma mulher solteira de trinta e oito anos que se mudou para a casa do pai (médico e com mau feitio), que sofreu um acidente e precisa de cuidados.
Desde as descrições dos locais, das personagens, das situações até à emotividade que transparece em cada acção das personagens, este livro é um hino ao que o amor pode fazer por duas pessoas que se achavam perdidas.
O final... Que hei-de dizer eu do final? Soberbo, apesar de muito triste. Dei por mim a chorar e com um aperto no peito por imaginar tudo o que as personagens estavam a passar naqueles momentos.
Recomendo!
July 15, 2013
So when I finished this book I flip-flopped between two and three stars.
Bruno is an Irish-American in search of his roots. He's conveniently fresh off a Lehman Brothers layoff with no ties other than two ex-wives. He's also supposed to be 50, which I found slightly unbelievable as his naiveté made him seem much younger and more immature, even if he is in a mid-life crisis. He also doesn't act like an American abroad (speaking from one who has lived abroad for 13 years). Addie is supposed to be 38 and fresh out of a relationship that nearly resulted in a baby; she also seems far younger than her years. Both were cliched, which may have been viable if they were in their early 20s but I had a difficult time believing they were post-35 with life experience.
The convenient framing device of the first Obama election felt forced, as did the peppering of doctor-speak to legitimize the father and brother-in-law characters. As someone married to a doctor and who lived in Britain during the Obama election, these were particularly eye-rolling moments; it felt more like MacMahon was pushing a political agenda than giving us character insight.
I found myself skimming at least part of every chapter, and completely gave up on a chapter towards the end which had to do with a subplot that didn't really seem to fit. It also took me three weeks to finish; I read two other books while in the middle of this one. I nearly gave up but wanted to see if the cliches continued (they do). I was ready to give this two stars and move on.
Then I Googled MacMahon, as I always am curious about authors. She received a reported £600,000 advance for this book.
That's why it teetered towards three stars. Obviously I am missing something. I'll be reading it again to see what all the fuss was about; indeed it got rave reviews from the broadsheets (Guardian, Independent, USA Today, etc.) so it's probably just me. There are some lovely bits of prose throughout, and some that would be more stirring if she'd pulled back a bit and let the reader do the work. But these pithy moments just weren't enough to carry this for me.
Bruno is an Irish-American in search of his roots. He's conveniently fresh off a Lehman Brothers layoff with no ties other than two ex-wives. He's also supposed to be 50, which I found slightly unbelievable as his naiveté made him seem much younger and more immature, even if he is in a mid-life crisis. He also doesn't act like an American abroad (speaking from one who has lived abroad for 13 years). Addie is supposed to be 38 and fresh out of a relationship that nearly resulted in a baby; she also seems far younger than her years. Both were cliched, which may have been viable if they were in their early 20s but I had a difficult time believing they were post-35 with life experience.
The convenient framing device of the first Obama election felt forced, as did the peppering of doctor-speak to legitimize the father and brother-in-law characters. As someone married to a doctor and who lived in Britain during the Obama election, these were particularly eye-rolling moments; it felt more like MacMahon was pushing a political agenda than giving us character insight.
I found myself skimming at least part of every chapter, and completely gave up on a chapter towards the end which had to do with a subplot that didn't really seem to fit. It also took me three weeks to finish; I read two other books while in the middle of this one. I nearly gave up but wanted to see if the cliches continued (they do). I was ready to give this two stars and move on.
Then I Googled MacMahon, as I always am curious about authors. She received a reported £600,000 advance for this book.
That's why it teetered towards three stars. Obviously I am missing something. I'll be reading it again to see what all the fuss was about; indeed it got rave reviews from the broadsheets (Guardian, Independent, USA Today, etc.) so it's probably just me. There are some lovely bits of prose throughout, and some that would be more stirring if she'd pulled back a bit and let the reader do the work. But these pithy moments just weren't enough to carry this for me.
March 10, 2018
Honestly this is one of the worst books I have ever read
None stop description all the way through, there is just no need for it, the most mundane things were explained in detail..... honestly I don't care get on with the story.
The story itself is ridiculous. Bruno comes to Ireland to look for his distant relatives, yes ok that's fine. High the father and Addie the daughter are adamant they don't want to meet him and won't let him in the house. Addie changes her tune pretty quickly and sleeps with him. Ridiculous, I know they're distant cousins but no they would not sleep together just like that.
I wasn't really sure who was who, if people were related or not. Descriptions of the characters are mentioned too late in the book, as you have already calculated an imagine of them and then have to completely change it. Their ages when they are finally mentioned are repeated too many times.
There is a twist at the end m, which for me I just sat there and thought really?? This story has no substance, it's poorly written and the characters are not believable, it could have had potential but it's flat and dull and the ending almost felt like a desperate plea to keep the story going. I'm not even sorry it was just terrible.
None stop description all the way through, there is just no need for it, the most mundane things were explained in detail..... honestly I don't care get on with the story.
The story itself is ridiculous. Bruno comes to Ireland to look for his distant relatives, yes ok that's fine. High the father and Addie the daughter are adamant they don't want to meet him and won't let him in the house. Addie changes her tune pretty quickly and sleeps with him. Ridiculous, I know they're distant cousins but no they would not sleep together just like that.
I wasn't really sure who was who, if people were related or not. Descriptions of the characters are mentioned too late in the book, as you have already calculated an imagine of them and then have to completely change it. Their ages when they are finally mentioned are repeated too many times.
There is a twist at the end m, which for me I just sat there and thought really?? This story has no substance, it's poorly written and the characters are not believable, it could have had potential but it's flat and dull and the ending almost felt like a desperate plea to keep the story going. I'm not even sorry it was just terrible.
August 5, 2020
This book was okay but not the best in my opinion. The storyline just seemed a bit chaotic like it was all jumbled round with no clear storyline. It suddenly jumps from the father being investigated to addies health so it just makes the whole book seem a bit random really. Was okay but wouldn't really recommend unless you dont mind a bit of a random read that leaves you feeling confused throughout
July 29, 2012
Awful.The only character I really could feel something for was Lola the dog and then she drowns!
May 29, 2017
Jeg var i tvivl undervejs. Der var nogle ting jeg ikke forstod, og et sprog jeg lige skulle vænne mig til. I mod slutningen var det dog en fornøjelse at læse denne bog. Der er passager der efterlader én åndeløs, og det er undertiden så hudløst, at man kan mærke glæden/tristheden/sorgen - whatever - som var den ens egen.
April 28, 2015
I think if I will be columnist, has long had me fired because I finished this book a long time ago and I'm just writing this review, but it's not always easy to put the words and I know several.
The book is well written and is a nice story set in Ireland in 2008, where great changes occurred in the world, at least in the two places where the novel is set, since the election where Obama wins that had a global reach and economic crisis that affected all and where both USA and Europe went into recession. But this is the story of two people, Bruno and Addie, who lived in totally opposite poles of the world that did not have to have known, but still met and between a beautiful love story emerges that has me personally I liked. Theirs arises directly, guess is that at a certain age are not taken into account coquetry or indirect, only take the initiative without much to lose. Both reflect the exhaustion and regret in life, feeling they didn't do much and not always what you should do is actually what is sought and as the weather can be a death trap when has not been used as it should. In that sense what we readers will be dissatisfied. Nor am I saying that both are a couple 100% perfect, because like all couples, there are always differences, Addie reserve to talk about herself or her past, while Bruno looks exactly why his Irish roots that are Addie same, since both are second cousins, accustomed as she is to independence no longer be a woman very skin or she doesn't like listening to Bruce Springsteen unlike Bruno, who is more outgoing and adores this iconic singer. No relationship would be special if everything worked like a charm and there were details that highlight a person.
It's also a lesson in life, a metaphor of how many times the past can define our present and our way of seeing things, either through our ancestors or our own parents. Like it or not, we load the mistakes of those who came before and many times, we ourselves continue. Addie resistance to find out more about his past, he can often be interpreted as a defense mechanism, perhaps by pain or fear to discover what lies behind. Bruno however is more than eager to discover their origins and that will cause more of a problem in the couple. Each character in his own way, have their own fears and inner demons, although some were me too complex to understand, especially because there is a greater depth than they explain, yet it's difficult to understand, I came up with the case of Hugh and his way of being sullen though the fund had a good heart that always showed to others. Addie itself was a mystery I had to re-read to understand. McMahom is not a bad writer, but the only problem I had with the book are the many unanswered questions. What happen with Addie's mother?, why not talk about it at home?, what happened in the life of Hugh?, what happened to Bruno's sister when she went to Ireland?, why the Murrays are so reserved when Bruno arrived?, What was the verdict of Hugh's trial?, I know it's a book counted as life itself, but at the same time, all these unknowns unanswered may believe some discontent in some readers.
I don't tell you reading this review that the book is bad because it's not, is a beautiful story, a poignant ending, with such complex characters who understand can be complicated but in some respects don't differ much from we. Personally, my favorite character was Lola, a beautiful dog that at various times I wished cherish.
The book is well written and is a nice story set in Ireland in 2008, where great changes occurred in the world, at least in the two places where the novel is set, since the election where Obama wins that had a global reach and economic crisis that affected all and where both USA and Europe went into recession. But this is the story of two people, Bruno and Addie, who lived in totally opposite poles of the world that did not have to have known, but still met and between a beautiful love story emerges that has me personally I liked. Theirs arises directly, guess is that at a certain age are not taken into account coquetry or indirect, only take the initiative without much to lose. Both reflect the exhaustion and regret in life, feeling they didn't do much and not always what you should do is actually what is sought and as the weather can be a death trap when has not been used as it should. In that sense what we readers will be dissatisfied. Nor am I saying that both are a couple 100% perfect, because like all couples, there are always differences, Addie reserve to talk about herself or her past, while Bruno looks exactly why his Irish roots that are Addie same, since both are second cousins, accustomed as she is to independence no longer be a woman very skin or she doesn't like listening to Bruce Springsteen unlike Bruno, who is more outgoing and adores this iconic singer. No relationship would be special if everything worked like a charm and there were details that highlight a person.
It's also a lesson in life, a metaphor of how many times the past can define our present and our way of seeing things, either through our ancestors or our own parents. Like it or not, we load the mistakes of those who came before and many times, we ourselves continue. Addie resistance to find out more about his past, he can often be interpreted as a defense mechanism, perhaps by pain or fear to discover what lies behind. Bruno however is more than eager to discover their origins and that will cause more of a problem in the couple. Each character in his own way, have their own fears and inner demons, although some were me too complex to understand, especially because there is a greater depth than they explain, yet it's difficult to understand, I came up with the case of Hugh and his way of being sullen though the fund had a good heart that always showed to others. Addie itself was a mystery I had to re-read to understand. McMahom is not a bad writer, but the only problem I had with the book are the many unanswered questions. What happen with Addie's mother?, why not talk about it at home?, what happened in the life of Hugh?, what happened to Bruno's sister when she went to Ireland?, why the Murrays are so reserved when Bruno arrived?, What was the verdict of Hugh's trial?, I know it's a book counted as life itself, but at the same time, all these unknowns unanswered may believe some discontent in some readers.
I don't tell you reading this review that the book is bad because it's not, is a beautiful story, a poignant ending, with such complex characters who understand can be complicated but in some respects don't differ much from we. Personally, my favorite character was Lola, a beautiful dog that at various times I wished cherish.
April 29, 2024
The swimming is a religion to her. It's the thing at the very center of her.
A flood of regret for all the things she'd never done, it hit her like a slap. She was filled with remorse for this life of hers that had been only half lived.
A flood of regret for all the things she'd never done, it hit her like a slap. She was filled with remorse for this life of hers that had been only half lived.
May 14, 2017
Oh dear! This book is about the most boring love story I've ever read. Addie is an out of work architect who falls in love with her second cousin Bruno a typical American Irishman come over to find his roots. Both Addie and Bruno are unlikely 'lovers" and their love story more so! Addie has had a failed relationship while Bruno has had several. Bruno is a disillusioned banker who is biding his time in the home country till the 2012 elections are over. Addie is busy looking after an eccentric father Hugh who has fractured both hands. Hugh is also facing a medical malpractice trial. Hugh also has another daughter Della who has her own brood of four girls.
The book begins with boring detail to Bruno's flight landing into Dublin and this excruciatingly slow description of every day actions is tedious to say the least.
Hugh is eccentric to the point of NOT wanting anything to do with the American cousin and strangely enough only gets to meet him at Christmas time, well after Addie and Bruno have fallen into each others arms.
The book drags on and on with side stories of Hugh's early life, Bruno's past and other narratives that don't really serve much purpose.
The author makes a faint attempt at humour which falls very flat.
Just as the reader begins to feel that there is a happy ever after, Addie develops a disease ( which remains unnamed for several pages). This hardly heightens the drama - on the contrary is unnecessarily dragging the story to its logical conclusion..... the tragic death of the heroine Addie. Frankly, I couldn't have been happier with the end because finally I could keep the book down!
The book begins with boring detail to Bruno's flight landing into Dublin and this excruciatingly slow description of every day actions is tedious to say the least.
Hugh is eccentric to the point of NOT wanting anything to do with the American cousin and strangely enough only gets to meet him at Christmas time, well after Addie and Bruno have fallen into each others arms.
The book drags on and on with side stories of Hugh's early life, Bruno's past and other narratives that don't really serve much purpose.
The author makes a faint attempt at humour which falls very flat.
Just as the reader begins to feel that there is a happy ever after, Addie develops a disease ( which remains unnamed for several pages). This hardly heightens the drama - on the contrary is unnecessarily dragging the story to its logical conclusion..... the tragic death of the heroine Addie. Frankly, I couldn't have been happier with the end because finally I could keep the book down!
June 21, 2013
This is the story of two people, Addie and Bruno, who are both a bit older, single and disappointed by their current lives. Bruno is American but decides to track the story of his Irish ancestors by descending on them completely by surprise as a way to try and escape the U.S. Election. He swears that if Obama doesn’t win, he will refuse to return to America, and throughout the novel, he constantly worries about this situation. Addie on the other hand, has had a couple of failed relationships and is currently looking after her father, a surgeon with a lot of attitude who has currently broken both his wrists and is about to undergo a lawsuit for malpractice. Addie ends up meeting Bruno as his second cousin once removed, and they fall in love.
I did enjoy this story, and found it quite refreshing that it explored love in a couple outside of their twenties and thirties. The characters were intriguing, but I found this was also a problem with the novel as I didn’t feel they were explored to their full potential. I was eager to know more about Addie and Bruno’s back story and their previous relationships, which was merely touched upon. I won’t say too much about the ending, but to be honest, it was fairly obvious to me and I did expect it. Don’t get me wrong, this is an interesting and decent story, but I feel more could have been made of what was there.
Please see my full review at http://www.bibliobeth.wordpress.com
I did enjoy this story, and found it quite refreshing that it explored love in a couple outside of their twenties and thirties. The characters were intriguing, but I found this was also a problem with the novel as I didn’t feel they were explored to their full potential. I was eager to know more about Addie and Bruno’s back story and their previous relationships, which was merely touched upon. I won’t say too much about the ending, but to be honest, it was fairly obvious to me and I did expect it. Don’t get me wrong, this is an interesting and decent story, but I feel more could have been made of what was there.
Please see my full review at http://www.bibliobeth.wordpress.com
August 30, 2012
I really wanted to enjoy This Is How It Ends, there has been a lot of publicity about this novel, not least the massive £600,000 advance the author received. My proof copy is beautifully presented, the cover is gorgeous, and the writing at times is very very good.
My two stars are for the writing only, it's engaging and easy to read but cannot compensate for the story it tells.
I found both of the lead characters quite dull, two middle-aged people, both with difficult backgrounds - these should have been two amazing characters, yet I couldn't like them particularly or empathise with them at all. In fact, I was fairly shocked when I realised how old Bruno and Addie are, she's 38 and he's almost 50. I'd thought that they were both in their 20s; their speech, their behaviour, their actions all led me to believe that they were much younger than they are.
There is very little plot in the story, the characters seem to amble along towards the (fairly shocking) end. I'm not against character-led stories in the least, but the characters do need to be interesting to hold my attention.
There is no doubt that Kathleen MacMahon can write very well, but this one really missed the spot for me.
My two stars are for the writing only, it's engaging and easy to read but cannot compensate for the story it tells.
I found both of the lead characters quite dull, two middle-aged people, both with difficult backgrounds - these should have been two amazing characters, yet I couldn't like them particularly or empathise with them at all. In fact, I was fairly shocked when I realised how old Bruno and Addie are, she's 38 and he's almost 50. I'd thought that they were both in their 20s; their speech, their behaviour, their actions all led me to believe that they were much younger than they are.
There is very little plot in the story, the characters seem to amble along towards the (fairly shocking) end. I'm not against character-led stories in the least, but the characters do need to be interesting to hold my attention.
There is no doubt that Kathleen MacMahon can write very well, but this one really missed the spot for me.
October 13, 2017
This is not great literature but it is nonetheless a really good read. It is this writer's first novel, and it certainly has a few flaws, but what it lacks in sophistication and space for the reader's imagination it makes up for in humor, drama, good characterizations, and a good setting. The story centers around the character of Addie, a 39-year-old Irish woman who has had her share of heartache and disappointment, and Bruno, an American investment banker who has come to Ireland to connect with his roots, lick his wounds from the great recession, and await the outcome of the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, hoping for the best in an Obama win, but fearing the worst. In the course of the novel the rest of Addie's family gets revealed, most notably her irascible and beleaguered physician father, Hugh, and her blessed but tempestuous sister, Della. The land and sea around Dublin forms much of the backdrop and is lovingly portrayed, and the music and lyrics of Bruce Springsteen provide something of a linking conceit throughout Bruno and Addie's relationship, which is nicely detailed. Without spoiling too much the novel does go a bit too Love Story for me in the end, but what would an Irish love story be if it ended happily? Answer: not very Irish.
April 21, 2024
Such lovely easy reading, ending sad 😢 lump in throat sad but very good 👍
February 12, 2022
There’s so many lessons to unpack from this book. The writing in this book is phenomenal. It just hooks you in at the very first introduction and you can’t look away from these beautifully realistic constructed characters. Despite being 424 pages, the writing style makes the pages fly. I adore how the story is eerily relatable and melancholy. How it explores the complexities of grief, love, yearning and acceptance within a diverse and unique scenarios. This book was simply breath-taking in every sentence, it was an amazing experience to be reading it. It is as if I was reading my own life unfolding infront of me. I don’t even feel like I was reading, it was so indulging and immersive that I thought this is my life. The ending of this book was phenomenally breathtaking and devastating but leaves you feeling so free and alive. It makes you stand up and celebrate being alive.
September 8, 2021
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4 out of 5.
This is why it begins…. Bruno, an American, has come to Ireland to search for his roots. Addie, an out of work architect, is recovering from heartbreak while taking care of her infirm father. When their worlds collide, they experience a connection unlike any they’ve previously felt, but soon their newfound love will be tested in ways they never imagined possible…… and this is how it ends…..
Really enjoyed this book. Admired Addie’s carefree life, felt for her sister’s push into adulthood at a young age, and tried to understand Hugh with his closed feelings and old style attitudes. And right in the middle of it all Bruno is trying to trace his family tree.
You become engaged and involved in the drama, and in the end, I challenge you to keep a dry eye.
This is why it begins…. Bruno, an American, has come to Ireland to search for his roots. Addie, an out of work architect, is recovering from heartbreak while taking care of her infirm father. When their worlds collide, they experience a connection unlike any they’ve previously felt, but soon their newfound love will be tested in ways they never imagined possible…… and this is how it ends…..
Really enjoyed this book. Admired Addie’s carefree life, felt for her sister’s push into adulthood at a young age, and tried to understand Hugh with his closed feelings and old style attitudes. And right in the middle of it all Bruno is trying to trace his family tree.
You become engaged and involved in the drama, and in the end, I challenge you to keep a dry eye.
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